Improvement in cube-sugar machines



2 Sheets--Sheet1.

G. D. JONES.

Cube Sugar-Machine. No. 169,004. PatentedOct.l9,1875.

Mbzeavea NPETERS. FHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHNGTON, D C:

2 Sheets--Sheet 2 a. n.10NEs.

Cube Sugar-Machine. No. 169,004, Patented0ct.19,1875.

' l V beesses I UNITED TATES,

PATENT Om'ron.

GILBERT D. JONES, OF BROOKLYN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TO ALBERTDE LA MONTAGNIE, OF NEW YORK, AND DAVID ELSTON, OF

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN- CUBE-SUGAR MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. I 69,004, dated October19, 1875; application filed August 30, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, GILBERT D. JONES, of the city of Brooklyn, in thecounty of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Machines for Making Cube Sugar; and I do herebydeclare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, which forms partof this specification.

This invention relates to machines for transforming loose granular sugarinto solid cubes or blocks by means of a series of mold-frames dividedinto compartments corresponding with the shape and size of the cubes orblocks to be made, said mold-frames having a sliding action under afilling-hopper, and acting conjointly with plungers to compact the sugarinto shape, and to giveit the'required solidity. My means foraccomplishing the desired result, however, essentially difl'er fromthose to be found in other machines fora like purpose, and I am enablednot only to do the work rapidly and with the most perfect regularity asregards the shape and solidity of the cubes or blocks produced, but allsticking of the sugar in the molds is prevented. To these and other endsthe invention consists in certain novel combinations of mold-frames,guides, or rails, along which said mold-frames intermittently travel,plunger-frames, which fit the moldframes and move along with them, aplaten operating on the mold-frames to compact the sugar previously fedinto them, and a drop or discharger also acting in a like direction onthe mold-frames to bring the molded sugar to the surface, and causingthe molds to free themselves by their passage over the plungers.

Figure 1 represents a side view of a machine embracing my improvementswith a portion of the frame broken away; Fig. 2, an irregularlongitudinal vertical section of the same on the line new of Fig. 3;Fig. 3, a front view; Fig. 4, a view in perspective of one of the"mold-frames detached; and Fig. 5, a view in perspective of acorresponding plungerframe; Fig. 6, a longitudinal view of one of therails.

A is the main frame, which may be of any suitable construction, and Bthe working-bed or table of the'machine. raised ways or rails mounted'onthe table in direction of its length, and arranged at suitable distancesapart to receive freely in between them a succession of plunger-frames,D. The upper edges of these rails serve to carry the mold-frames E bymeans of projections or cars I) b on the sides of said frame-s.

1nold-frame with its corresponding plungerframeit is designed inpractice to enlarge their capacity by increasing the size of themold-frames and dividing them up into a greater number of compartments,0, and correspondingly increasing the number of followers f of eachplunger-frame, and modifying other portions of the apparatus to suit.

The molds or mold-frames E are open top and bottom, the plunger-frames Dwith their attached plungers forming loose bottoms to the molds, and theplungers fentering freely within the compartments 6, or rather thedivided mold-frames dropping freely over said plunger-s.

In the working of the machine the moldframes E, together with theirplunger-frames D, are arranged in succession. one behind the other, andare intermittently fed or slid forward along or over the bedthat is tosay, the plunger-frames D traveling on the bed B between the rails O 0,while the mold-frames E travel by their ears or projections b on therails. This intermittent travel of the moldframes and plunger-frames indirection of the arrow y serves to bring each mold-frame in successionfirst under a filling hopper or box, F, then under a compressing-platen,G, and

lastly, under a discharger, l:l.' The action of.

O U are parallel these last-named devices will be hereinafter more fullyexplained.

I is a revohing main or driving shaft, on which isacam, J, thatacts onarocker, K,which, in its turn. isconnected by a rod, g, with alongitudinal slide, L. This slide is provided with a head, It, at itsouter end,-arranged to pass through a longitudinal slot in the rear endof the bed B between the rails, whereby said slide, when operated by thecam J, acts upon the rear plunger-frame D to give the string or seriesof mold-frames E, with their respective. plunger-frames, an intermittentfeed forward.

Such slide L consequently is the intermittent 7 driver of the mold andplunger frames, and after each forward stroke or feed it is thrown backby means of a. spring,.z', which acts alternately with the cam J, andwhen thus thrown back space is provided in rear of the moldframe E lastfed forward under the fillinghopper F for the introduction of a new orempty moldframe and plunger-frame to match, whereby a continuity of dutyon part of the machine may be kept up, a discharged moldframe withplunger-frame at the same time passing 0% at the other end of themachine.

On the shaft I is also another cam, J, which operates against a rocker,K, that has connected with it a rope or chain, 70, which passes aroundsuitable guide-pulleys l, and is attached at. its other end to a filler,M. This filler may have projections on its face correspondin g with thecompartments 6 in the moldframes, and it is fitted to rise and fall atintervals within the filling-hopper F, for the purpose of allowing thereplenishing of the hopper with loose granular sugar, and for thepassing of said sugar into the mold-frames E as they are successivelybrought under the filling-hopper. The cam J operates to lift said fillerM, which drops when released from such action by the cam, and urges thesugar down from or through the bottom of the hopper into the mold-framebeneath. The shaft 1 also serves, by means of a crank-pin, m, on wheel19, rod a, slide 0, and lever r, or other suitable devices, to give anup-and-down reciprocating motion to the platen G and discharger H. Saiddischarger His here shown as formed by forwardly and downwardlyprojecting arms, attached to the platen, so as to operate in concertwith it, and whereby the one set of actuating devices serve to operateboth the compressing platen and the discharger; but, if preferred, thedischarger may be operated by devices other than those used to operatethe platen.

1n the general operation of the machine each mold-frame of the series ofmold-frames E is brought in succession under the fillinghopper F, thefollowersf of the plunger-frames D then only entering within the bottomsof the compartments 0 of the mold-frames by reason of the ears b of themold-frames then resting on and traveling along the highest portions ofthe rails G 0, while their plungertrames D rest on and travel along thebed B.

The slide or driver L is the intermittent propelling agent of the moldand plunger frames, as hereinbefore described.

As said molding-frames with their plungerframes in succession come underthe fillinghopper F, the filler .Vl, having been previously raised,comes down and urges or forces the loose granulated sugar from thehopper into the mold-frame, but is not designed to compress it therein.The mold-frame thus packed with sugar is thenthat is, by the nextintermittent forward feed or stroke of the slide L--passed from underthe filling-hopper, and

in due course, as, for instance, by a succeeding intermittent forwardfeed, is brought under the platen Gr when raised, but not until the earsor lateral projections b of such moldframe have passed over the firststeps or reductions 0 in the rails, so that when the plat: en G comesdown it will force the mold-frame to asuffii-ient extent down or overthe followers f ot' the plunger-frame, which fits said mold-frame, as toinsure the sugarbein g compressed to a suflicient extent within themoldframe. l

The platen G may be enameled on its face to prevent the sugar stickingto it and to provide, during the nextintermittent forward feed of theseries of mold-frames and their respective plunger-frames, for themold-frame, which has had the sugar in it, subjected to compression, asdescribed, passing in a smoothing or leveling manner under the platen,and from thence down over the second step cl in the rails C, so thatwhen the discharger H comes down and acts upon the ears b it will forcesaid mold-frame still farther down over the followers f of itsplunger-frame till the tops of the followers are on a level with theupper surface of the mold-frame, thus discharging the sugar by causingthe molds or moldframes to free themselves, and so that the sugarisdischarged in the same direction that it was compressed. This action,which is clearly represented in Fig. 2, is repeated for each moldframein succession, and by it all sticking and irregularity are prevented,and perfect blocks or cubes of sugar are produced.

After the sugar has been discharged from the mold-frames by the latterfreeing themselves, as described, said sngar may readily be transferredby an endless belt or conveyor to any suitable drying oven or room.

I claim- 1. The combination of the molds or moldframes E with theplunger-frames D or their plungers f and the platen G, whereby the moldsand platen descend in concert forthe purpose of compressing the sugar,and said molds afterward farther descend, without the platen, to effectthe discharge of the sugar, substantially as specified.

2. The combination of the intermittentlytraveling mold-frames E andplunger-frames D with the bed B, rails O O, and a filling-box or hopper,F, essentially as described.

3. The combination of the intermittently operating slide or driver Lwith the series of mold-frames E and plunger-frames D, the surface orbed B, on which the plunger-frames travel, and the rails (J, on whichthe moldframes slide, substantially as specified.

4. The mold-frames E, constructed or provided with ears or lateralprojections b b, in combination with the rails O U having steps 0 d inthem, essentially as described.

5. The combination of the platen G with the rising and fallingmold-frames E, the rails G having a step, 0, in them, and theplungerframes D, substantially as specified.

6. The combination of'the discharger H with the mold-frames E, the rails0 having a step, cl, in them, and the plunger-frames D, essentially asdescribed.

7. The platen G, having the discharger H attached to it for simultaneousoperation on successive or adjacent mold-frames E in alike direction,and in opposition to the plungerframes D, as herein set forth.

8. The'combination of the filler M, the filling-hopper F, the platen G,the discharger H, the moldframes E, the plunger-frames D, the bed B, thestepped rails C G, and the intermittent slide or driver L, substantiallyas specified.

GILBERT D. JONES.

Witnesses:

HENRY T. BROWN, MICHAEL RYAN.

